Tianru Building — Former Site of the CPC Minjiang Special Committee Headquarters

The Tianru Building — Former Site of the CPC Minjiang Special Committee Headquarters

The Tianru Building is located at No. 39 Jiefang Street, Minqing County (i.e., within the former campus of Minqing No. 1 Middle School). The building covers an area of 650 square meters, with a protected area of 1,000 square meters, and was built in 1917. In the early 19th century, foreign missionaries constructed five Western-style buildings at Tianru Middle School, known as the Tianru Buildings, which were the predecessor of Minqing No. 1 Middle School. Three of them were demolished before liberation, leaving two — one serving as a teachers' dormitory and the other as a library. These were the main sites where the CPC Minjiang Special Committee operated in Minqing.

In 1940, the die-hard faction of the Kuomintang pursued a policy of passive resistance against Japan and active anti-communism. The CPC Central Committee, assessing the situation, required party organizations at all levels in Fujian Province and other Kuomintang-controlled areas to quickly shift their focus from mass recruitment and organizing popular anti-Japanese salvation movements to consolidating the Party, implementing the strategy of concealment and building a lean force. Party work was to go underground and take root among workers, peasants, students, and teachers.

The CPC Fujian Provincial Committee resolutely implemented the Central Committee’s directives, earnestly shifting its struggle strategy by concealing and withdrawing cadres, and discreetly developing anti-Japanese forces.

In March 1940, the Provincial Committee decided to reorganize the CPC Minjiang Working Committee into the CPC Minjiang Special Committee, appointing Li Tie as secretary, Huang Xiancai as head of the Organization Department, Zhuang Zheng as head of the Propaganda Department, Zhu Minhua as head of the Workers’ Department, Huang Yiyu as head of the Youth Department, and Xu Pinfang as head of the Women’s Department.

In August, the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, through Xu Xunxun (a native of Sandu, Minqing and then an educational inspector of the Provincial Department of Education), along with Liu Zisong and Liu Wohui, contacted Chen Shiping, principal of Tianru Middle School in Minqing. They arranged for Li Tie, Secretary of the CPC Minjiang Special Committee, as well as underground party members Huang Weishi (from Zhangpu, Fujian) and Yang Changhui, to retreat to Tianru Middle School in Minqing. They operated under the cover of teaching positions. Thereafter, Li Tie used Tianru Middle School as the Special Committee headquarters, leading party activities across Minqing, Nanping, Gutian, Youxi, Shaowu, Jiangle, Shunchang, Sha County, Yong’an, and Datian.

During this period, three underground party members — including Li Jing (also known as Li Qinghua, from Lishi County, Shanxi) — who had become “too conspicuous” in Jinhua, Zhejiang, were evacuated and concealed in Fujian by the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee. Li Jing was also assigned to teach at Tianru Middle School in Minqing.

At Tianru Middle School in Minqing, Li Tie, together with Huang Weishi, Li Jing, Yang Changhui, and others, united with Principal Chen Shiping, who leaned toward progressiveness. They discreetly formed a revolutionary and progressive force, and on this basis, secretly led anti-Japanese salvation activities across ten northern Fujian counties and Minqing (including over ten middle and higher schools relocated from Fuzhou to Minqing) — at the time, there were around twenty to thirty party members in Minqing.

Li Tie lived on the upper floor of the middle Western-style building next to the school playground. During the day, underground liaison officers from nearby counties often came to see Li Tie. They were first received by Huang Weishi (then tasked with protecting Li Tie), a party member living downstairs, who treated them as relatives or friends. In the evening, Huang Weishi would then take them upstairs for one-on-one meetings with Li Tie to conduct confidential contacts, report, and assign tasks. Their work was extremely discreet, never drawing attention.

Li Tie’s public role was as a Chinese literature teacher. While secretly leading the work of the CPC Minjiang Special Committee, he actively used classroom teaching to educate students about the war situation and the cause of resisting Japan, inspiring their patriotic fervor. He organized a “Reading Club” to guide students in their reading. He also cared about student life and used various methods to unite progressive teachers and students. Huang Weishi (academic affairs director), Li Jing (English teacher), and Yang Changhui (English teacher) also conducted revolutionary propaganda under legitimate identities and means. Their revolutionary activities had a profound impact on the faculty and students. At the time, Tianru Middle School in Minqing was filled with a progressive, uplifting, and patriotic revolutionary atmosphere. Young students such as Lin Kejun, Huang Guangtian, Cai Zhaoyuan, and Weng Jian received revolutionary education during this period and embarked on the path of revolution.

In January 1941, to avoid arrest and execution by reactionary forces, Li Tie, Li Jing (female), and others left Minqing. The CPC Minjiang Special Committee also relocated to Datian. In the summer of the same year, Huang Weishi, Yang Changhui, and others also left Minqing.